1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to network devices and, more particularly, to integrated circuits used in network devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Networking of computer systems and other electronic devices has become more and more prevalent, at all levels of the network. Computer systems in offices, and sometimes even homes, are networked in local area networks (LANs). Geographically distant computer systems can be network in wide area networks (WANs). The Internet can be considered an example of a WAN.
Various network devices may be involved in transmitting network data (communications between the networked systems) from one computer system to another. For example, firewalls are typically used between a local area network and a wider area network (e.g. the Internet) to protect the local area network from invasion from the wide area network. Routers receive network data (e.g. packets), analyze the data, and route the data on to another router or the receiving computer system. The routers may include circuitry to examine packets to provide such features as quality of service (QoS), caching of information, etc.
A system on a chip for network devices is described. In one implementation, the system on a chip may include (integrated onto a single integrated circuit), a processor and one or more I/O devices for networking applications. For example, the I/O devices may include one or more network interface circuits for coupling to a network interface. In one embodiment, coherency may be enforced within the boundaries of the system on a chip but not enforced outside of the boundaries.
Broadly speaking, an integrated circuit for a networking device is contemplated. The integrated circuit includes at least one processor and one or more network interface circuits configured to communicate on one or more network interfaces. The processor and the network interfaces are integrated on the integrated circuit.
Additionally, an integrated circuit for a network device is contemplated. The integrated circuit includes at least one processor coupled to an interconnect; a cache coupled to the interconnect; a memory controller coupled to the interconnect; and one or more input/output (I/O) devices for networking applications. The at least one processor, the cache, the memory controller, the interconnect, and the one or more I/O devices are integrated onto the integrated circuit.
Moreover, an integrated circuit for a network device is contemplated, including at least one processor and an input/output (I/O) device capable of caching data. The processor and the I/O device are integrated onto the integrated circuit. Coherency is enforced between the processor and the I/O device.